Pought Thots – spring96

By
Our readers
on March 15, 1996

Cannabis Canada, spring96 – Pought Thots

Pought Thots …

Why Trust a Lawyer?

I note that constitutional challenges appear to be gathering fashionable steam and generating some public interest. The editors at Cannabis Canada have embraced constitutional challenges as their own, while shamelessly asking the public to help finance a few big name lawyers – all at great expense and misdirection for the hemp movement.

Of course, it was lawyers that framed the current narcotic laws, and lawyers that resist any direct involvement or change in matters held to be exclusively legal. So why trust lawyers?

Besides, ever since R. vs Morgentaler, lawyers are not allowed to tell juries they have inherent power to disregard the law and find an accused not guilty on the grounds that the law amounts to serious bullshit.

Constitutional challenges to the Narcotic Control Act are not new. Such challenges were crafted by members of the Assembly of the Church of the universe long ago, and have been dismissed repeatedly by the Courts over the past 15 years. Hiring lawyers to do the same is a waste of money.

Kornelis Kleverling

Ontario

Although John Conroy and Alan Young, might generally charge a high rate for their services, they are not charging for the time they are spending to launch the various constitutional challenges against marijuana prohibition. All of the money donated to these challenges goes to cover the direct costs of challenging the law, such as printing documents, travel, the hiring of experts, and other associated expenses.

-ed

Tobacco Troubles

I am responding to Marc Emery’s article on Opening a Hemp Store, where he states “don’t ever have signs saying your products are for tobacco use… that is totally wussy and hypocritical… no one will respect you if you compromise like that.”

Hemp BC is probably Canada’s largest distributor of Chills and Barmes pipes. Both companies manufacture their pipes and waterpipes “strictly for tobacco use”, which is clearly labelled in their catalogs and brochures. If your main suppliers are “wussy, hypocritical, and gutless”, then you are certainly supporting their marketing strategy by doing huge business with them.

If a hemp store wants to retail their pipes “for tobacco use”, then that is valid, considering that it is ludicrous that our system can specify which size, style or color pipe can function for a particular substance.

We support the cannabis decriminalization movement with passion, yet choose to carry on with tobacco labels because that is how the pipes are labelled, tobacco is still the only legal substance allowed, and what the customer wishes to smoke out of their pipe is their own business.

Lisa Montroy

Off the Cuff

Victoria

Remember your Roots

As President of NORML Canada, I have seen public attitudes come and go. In the sixties and seventies, marijuana enthusiasts rallied and demonstrated and petitioned and lobbied til the cows came home.

As NORML Canada was busy in the courts battling section 462.2 for the right to produce literature in support of marijuana, many groups cropped up to support only industrial hemp, shunning marijuana activists as not having their priorities straight

In the same way that the “hippies” grew up and became “yuppies”, marijuana activists seem to have become “hempsters”. Let us not forget our grass roots, the objective of stopping citizens from being treated as criminals because they use marijuana.

Medicine and science researched all of the mythical claims made about the evil weed because of marijuana activists. It was this campaign that made it possible for the new hemp industries to re-emerge and be reconsidered.

Now that we have beaten section 462.2 in the courts, NORML Canada is opening chapters across Canada. Any ten members who wish to form a chapter in their region may request a start-up kit by sending $15 and a large self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address below. The $15 is refundable upon chapter certification.

It’s time to free the Prisoners of Weed!

It’s time to stand up and be heard!

Umberto Ioforda, NORML Canada

14846 Jane St.

King City, Ontario

L7B 1A3

The Big Picture

Sorry guys but you are to late! Bill C-68, our new gun control law, has already set a precedent for C-7. C-68 showed that scare tactics work, and they work well.

The government asked all Canadians to register their guns. OK, no big deal, but also included in the law were some very dangerous search and seizure powers. No warrant will be needed to search a residence for an illegal (unregistered) weapon! If the police believe you might not have registered all of your guns they can legally bust into your home and search it. If you do not assist them then you are guilty of an indictable offence.

As Canadians we have to look at the laws our government is passing, not just at the main points but at the whole thing. C-68 was just the beginning, and if you think it doesn’t affect you then you’re wrong! You are on the right track fighting C-7 and I wish you better luck than we law abiding gun owners had.